Digital Commons Network^™

Restricting Metabolic Plasticity Enhances Stress Adaptation Through The Modulation Of Pdh And Hif1a In Trap1-Depleted Colon Cancer, Hong-Yuan Tsai, Miao-Hsueh Chen, Jihye Yun, Lisa A Lai, John F Valentine, Mary P Bronner, Teresa A Brentnall, Sheng Pan, Ru Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Metabolic plasticity allows cancer cells to survive under adverse conditions. To investigate the role of mitochondrial chaperone tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) in this process, we used CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genetic deletion to knock out (KO) TRAP1 in colon cancer cells. Depletion of TRAP1 triggered a series of events: induced metabolic reprogramming, increased glycolytic flux, downregulation of mitochondrial complex I, and elevated ROS generation. TRAP1-deficient cells showed tolerance to Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS) inhibitors and exhibited a higher extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Additionally, TRAP1 depletion activated hypoxia response elements (HREs) and upregulated HIF1A target genes such as GLUT1 and MCT1. …

Mir147 Promotes Mucosal Integrity And Healing In Intestinal Inflammation, Agnieszka K Czopik, Arash Dabiri, Chia-Hao Tung, Victoria Vaughn, Xiangsheng Huang, Jinlian Wang, Hui Li, Nicolas F Moreno, Natalia V Piwko, Katherine Figarella, Hongfang Liu, Zhongming Zhao, Xiaoyi Yuan, Holger K Eltzschig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The intestinal mucosal epithelium forms a barrier between luminal contents and the body. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate mucosal homeostasis by controlling inflammatory responses and structural integrity. Here, we discovered a protective role for miR147 in intestinal inflammation using a miR147tdTomato reporter mouse. miR147 was enriched in the intestines, with the highest expression in the colonic epithelial cells at the luminal surface, with prominent expression in differentiated enterocytes. Mice with general or intestinal epithelial deletion of miR147 showed increased intestinal inflammation and diminished mucosal healing during colitis. RNA sequencing of miR147-deficient cells showed dysregulated immune signaling, with upregulated proinflammatory cytokine pathways and …

A Pooled Sample Study Of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Wait Time Among A Pregnant Population In New York, Stanley Nkemjika, Gulshan Begum, Bolaji Yoade, Vaibhav Vyas, Henry Onyeaka, Olubusola Olatunji, Olaniyi Olayinka, Ayana Jordan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and Aim: Opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy has become a major public health issue, with its prevalence rising significantly in recent years. The incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) has also surged, from 1.5 cases per 1000 hospital births in 1999 to 6.0 cases per 1000 in 2013. This study aims to identify and analyze the concerns faced by pregnant people in accessing OUD treatment on time, specifically focusing on New York.

Methods: The pooled sample of 225,275 individuals represents pregnant patients with OUD who received treatment at substance use disorder (SUD) facilities across New York State between …

Completion Rates For Ecological Momentary Assessments Of Food Intake During Pregnancy And Post Partum: Descriptive Study, Sarah Annalise Sanders, Serwaa Omowale, Andrea Casas, Alexis Kiyanda, Abigail Smith Kosbie, Yu-Hsuan Lai, Meredith Wallace, Stephen Rathbun, Tiffany Gary-Webb, Esa Davis, Lora Burke, Dara Méndez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The collection of dietary behavior data is crucial in childbearing populations. In addition to observed inequities in perinatal dietary intake and quality, burdensome assessment methods (eg, 24-h dietary recall) may limit research participation for some groups. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is associated with reduced recall bias and participant convenience, but there is a dearth of studies with diverse cohorts.

Objective: Our aim is to describe participant completion of food intake items in EMA surveys, overall and across individual characteristics (eg, prepregnancy BMI).

Methods: Using secondary EMA data from participants in a longitudinal study, we report average completion rates of …

Genetics-Nutrition Interactions Control Diurnal Enhancer-Promoter Dynamics And Liver Lipid Metabolism, Dishu Zhou, Ying Chen, Panpan Liu, Kun Zhu, Juliet Holder-Haynes, S Julie-Ann Lloyd, Cam Mong La, Inna I Astapova, Seunghee Choa, Ying Xiong, Hosung Bae, Marlene Aguilar, Hongyuan Yang, Yu A An, Zheng Sun, Mark A Herman, Xia Gao, Liming Pei, Cholsoon Jang, Joshua D Rabinowitz, Samer G Mattar, Yongyou Zhang, Dongyin Guan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The circadian clock controls 24-h rhythmic processes. However, how genetic variations outside clock genes impact peripheral diurnal rhythms remains largely unknown. Here, we find that genetic variation contributes to different diurnal patterns of hepatic gene expression in both humans and mice. Nutritional challenges alter the rhythmicity of gene expression in mouse liver in a strain-specific manner. Remarkably, genetics and nutrition interdependently control more than 80% of rhythmic gene and enhancer-promoter interactions (E-PIs), with a noncanonical clock regulator, estrogen-related receptor gamma (ESRRγ), emerging as a top transcription factor during motif mining. Knockout of Esrrγ abolishes strain-specific metabolic processes in response to …

Assessing A Community Health Worker-Facilitated, Digitally Delivered, Family-Centered Diabetes Management Program: Single-Arm Quasi-Experimental Study, Zenong Yin, Vanessa L Errisuriz, Heather Cuevas, Bertha E Flores, Laura Delfausse, Christina Galvan, Jing Wang, Chengdong Li, Renata Morfin, Shiyu Li, Maysa Sapargeldiyeva, Giliane Yza Muyna, Minyu Zhang, Vanessa Sweet, Deborah Parra-Medina

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The high prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and associated complications disproportionately affect low-income Latino populations, who also experience disparities in diabetes self-management (DSM), including poor medication adherence, physical activity, diet, and glycemic control.

Objective: This study examined, through an academic-community partnership, the effectiveness of ¡Salud, Salud! (an evidence-based, family-centered diabetes self-management education and support [DSMES] program) on primary (glycemic control and quality of life) and secondary (social, psychological, and behavioral factors related to T2D management) outcomes among low-income Latino adults with T2D or prediabetes.

Methods: In total, 81 adults (mean age 48.90 years, SD 12.57; n=57, 70.4%, female; …

Genome-Wide Analysis Of Dna Methylation Signatures Linking Prenatal Exposure To The Chinese Great Famine And Blood Lipids In Late Adulthood: The Genomic Research Of The Chinese Famine (Grecf) Study, Huan Wang, Luqi Shen, Tingting Liu, Ruiyuan Zhang, Zhenghe Wang, Jingkai Wei, Ye Shen, Jinzhen Guo, Toni Miles, Changwei Li, Zhiyong Zou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/objectives: Prenatal exposure to famine can lead to lasting health effects through changes in DNA methylation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of prenatal exposure to the Chinses Great Famine (1959-1961) on human epigenome and the subsequent influence on blood lipids.

Methods: We conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of peripheral blood-based DNA methylation and prenatal exposure to the Chinese Great Famine as well as blood lipids among eight participants exposed to famine and eight sex-matched participants (born ≤ 3 years after the famine). Genome-wide DNA methylation sites were profiled using the Illumina EPIC BeadChip, which covers 850K methylation …

Feasibility And Usage Of A Virtual Assistant Device In Cognitively Impaired Homebound Older Adults, Matthew Nunez, Prisha Patel, Lindsey Ulin, Leslie Kian, Martin Cominsky, Jason Burnett, Jessica L Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Social technology in older adults can improve self-rated health; however, there can also be difficulties using it. Our study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptance of virtual assistant device (VAD) use in cognitively impaired homebound older adults. 52 newly referred Meals on Wheels clients aged 60 and older were recruited for a three-phase study: 6 weeks of meals alone (control), followed by 6 weeks of meals+Alexa Echo Show 8 (AES8) basic usage, and lastly 6 weeks of meals+AES8 advanced usage. Technology acceptance with the AES8 was significantly higher by the end of the study and participants anecdotally enjoyed playing …

Carotenoids As Neuroprotective Agents In Multiple Sclerosis: Pathways, Mechanisms, And Clinical Prospects, Elham Nadimi, Shirin Jamal Omidi, Mahshad Ghasemi, Mohammad Hashem Hashempur, Aida Iraji

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune andneurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by demyelination and neuroinflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and immune dysregulation. The global incidence of MS is rising, demonstrating the necessity for new therapeutic agents against its complex pathophysiology. Carotenoids, naturally pigments with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective activities, have been recognized as promising candidates to target MS.The antioxidant effect of astaxanthin, lycopene, β-carotene, crocin, and lutein resulted from the deactivation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), preservation of mitochondrial integrity, and prevention of lipid peroxidation. Additionally, carotenoids regulate inflammatory pathways by suppressing NF-κB activation, …

Tirzepatide For The Maintenance Of Body Weight Reduction: Rationale, Design, And Baseline Characteristics Of Surmount-Maintain, Deborah B Horn, Louis J Aronne, Sean Wharton, Harold E Bays, Elisa Gomez-Valderas, Avigdor D Arad, Palash Sharma, Julia P Dunn, Cagri Senyucel, Clare J Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of reducing the tirzepatide dose and/or continuing the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) versus placebo in maintaining body weight (BW) reduction achieved with tirzepatide MTD.

Methods: This Phase 3b, multicenter, randomized, parallel-arm, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, 52-week clinical trial is in progress comparing treatment with once weekly tirzepatide (5 mg and/or MTD of 15 mg or 10 mg) versus placebo in achieving BW reduction maintenance from the initial 60-week open-label weight-loss period on tirzepatide MTD, in adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 or ≥ 27 kg/m2 with ≥ 1 obesity-related comorbidity, excluding type …

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts As Mediators Of Tissue Microenvironment Remodeling In Cancer, Fernanda G Kugeratski, Emily J Kay, Sara Zanivan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a multifunctional cell population of solid tumors that substantially remodel the tumor microenvironment (TME). The combination of single-cell and spatial technologies with elegant mouse models and analysis of patient samples is enabling unprecedented advances in the characterization of CAF origins, heterogeneity, and functions within the TME. As such, the field is now evolving to delineate tissue-specific subpopulations of CAFs, their markers, and the biological context in which each subset presents with a tumor-promoting or a tumor-restraining function. In this timely review, we discuss recent advances in CAF biology in the context of emerging areas of interest …

The "Secret Of Seven Stones": Short-Term Efficacy Of An Online Intergenerational Sexual Health Education Game For Early Adolescents And Their Parents, Ross Shegog, Christine Markham, Melissa Peskin, Robert C Addy, Sara Dube, Diane Santa Maria, Susan Tortolero Emery, Johnny M Wilkerson, Elizabeth Baumler, Laura Armistead, Pooja Chaudhary, Hsing-Yi Song, Angela Spencer, Jeffery Mclaughlin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Intergenerational games offer a potential channel to impact parent-youth sexual health communication. The "Secret of Seven Stones" (SSS) is an 18-level online adventure game and parent website designed to engage parents and youth (11-14 years) in conversations about healthy dating relationships and sexual behavior and to provide sexual health skills training to youth. Study hypotheses were that SSS exposure would increase sexual health parent-child communication, increase youth intentions to delay sexual debut, and reduce youth exposure to situations that promote sexual activity.

Materials and Methods: SSS was evaluated in the homes of parent-youth dyads randomly assigned to intervention ( …

Infectious Prions In Brains And Muscles Of Domestic Pigs Experimentally Challenged With The Bse, Scrapie, And Cwd Agents, Francisca Bravo-Risi, Fraser Brydon, Angela Chong, Kane Spicker, Justin J Greenlee, Glenn Telling, Claudio Soto, Sandra Pritzkow, Marcelo A Barria, Rodrigo Morales

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Experimental studies suggest that animal species not previously described as naturally infected by prions are susceptible to prion diseases affecting sheep, cattle, and deer. These interspecies transmissions may generate prions with unknown host ranges. Pigs are susceptible to prions from different origins, including deer chronic wasting disease (CWD), sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Here, we studied prions in brains and muscles from pigs previously infected with these different prion sources. Specifically, we measured the total prion protein (PrP) and PK-resistant PrP by western blot. Seeding activity in these tissues was evaluated using the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) …

Defining Breast Epithelial Cell Types In The Single-Cell Era, G Kenneth Gray, Eric G Carlson, Tatyana Lev, Bailey Marshall, Austin D Reed, Alex P Sánchez-Covarrubias, Alecia-Jane Twigger, Aleix Puig-Barbe, Aatish Thennavan, Ayodele Omotoso, Lyndsay M Murrow, Deeptiman Chatterjee, Siyuan He, Sara Pensa, Brian Aevermann, Norbert K Tavares, Natalie Chen, Jason A Hilton, Kerrigan Blake, Yunlong Liu, Kiet Phong, Zev J Gartner, Devon A Lawson, Alexander Swarbrick, Camila O Dos Santos, Sophia H L George, Joan S Brugge, Mark A Labarge, Harikrishna Nakshatri, Nicholas Navin, Kai Kessenbrock, Walid T Khaled

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Single-cell studies on breast tissue have contributed to a change in our understanding of breast epithelial diversity that has, in turn, precipitated a lack of consensus on breast cell types. The confusion surrounding this issue highlights a possible challenge for advancing breast atlas efforts. In this perspective, we present our consensus on the identities, properties, and naming conventions for breast epithelial cell types and propose goals for future atlas endeavors. Our proposals and their underlying thought processes aim to catalyze the adoption of a shared model for this tissue and to serve as guidance for other investigators facing similar challenges.

Dietary And Consumer Behaviors In Individuals Currently Using Substances: A Cross-Sectional Study Based On Nhanes (2013 - 2018), A Sarah Cohen, Marylou Cardenas-Turanzas, Audrey Lopez, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Substance use disorders (SUD) are associated with metabolic dysregulation and nutritional deficiencies. Studies show that incorporating nutrition interventions into treatment may improve physical and psychological health. This study sought to explore dietary and consumer behavior in individuals currently using substances.

Methods: Data from the 2013 - 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for this cross-sectional study. Individuals 18 - 69 who were currently using marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, or injected unprescribed drugs were compared with individuals not using substances. Dietary and consumer behavior, including alcohol consumption was assessed. Analyses were performed using Stata I/C version 15. …

Chp1 Promotes Lipid Droplet Growth And Regulates The Localization Of Key Enzymes For Triacylglycerol Synthesis, Guang Yang, Ximing Du, Dougall Norris, Armella Zadoorian, Yuyuan Zheng, Mingming Gao, Andrew J Brown, Shane T Grey, Chun Zhou, Hongyuan Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The glycerol-3-phosphate (G-3-P) pathway is central to the synthesis of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and glycerophospholipids, essential for membrane biogenesis and lipid storage. The first and rate-limiting step in this pathway is catalyzed by glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases (GPATs), with microsomal GPAT3 and GPAT4 being evolutionarily conserved and predominant in most tissues. While previous studies have implicated Calcineurin B homologous protein 1 (CHP1) as a cofactor for GPAT4, the broader role of CHP1 in regulating microsomal GPATs and TAG biosynthesis remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that CHP1 is a critical regulator of both GPAT3 and GPAT4, essential for their stability, enzymatic activity, and lipid …

Exploring Boundaries With Food, Substances, And People In Substance Use Recovery: A Qualitative Analysis, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, Audrey Sarah Cohen, Kriti Shrestha, Jie Zhu, Audrey Lopez, Alisha Campbell, Christine Bakos-Block

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: In the United States, over 47 million youth and adults live with a substance use disorder (SUD). These individuals are frequently malnourished and have metabolic dysregulation as a result. Nutrition interventions incorporating a mindfulness-based approach help recovery efforts that are physical and mental.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore and analyze the perspectives and experiences of individuals with SUD regarding emotional regulation and nutrition. The study used a mixed methods approach to generate insights for improving recovery support and developing future interventions.

Design: In 2024, an exploratory mixed methods study was conducted based on a large …

Identifying Geographic Cold Spots Of Pcos Diagnosis In Texas: A Spatial Analysis Of Underdiagnosis And Rural Disparities, Ryan Ramphul, Geethika Yalavarthy, Jooyeon Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common yet underdiagnosed endocrine disorder with substantial reproductive and metabolic consequences. Although disparities in PCOS care have been documented, few studies have employed spatial methods to identify areas of potential underdiagnosis.

Objective: This study uses geospatial analysis to detect cold spots of PCOS clinical encounters across Texas and investigates neighborhood characteristics associated with these areas.

Methods: We analyzed inpatient and outpatient encounter data from the Texas Public Use Data File (PUDF) between 2018 and 2024 to identify PCOS-related visits (International Classification of Diseases, revision 10: E28.2). ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA)-level PCOS encounter …

Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis And Dietary Related Metabolites Associated With Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Tariq Faquih, Kaitlin S Potts, Pavithra Nagarajan, Bing Yu, Robert Kaplan, Carmen R Isasi, Qibin Qi, Kent D Taylor, Peter Y Liu, Satu J Strausz, Hanna M Ollila, Tianyi Huang, Russell P Tracy, Craig Johnson, Stephen S Rich, Clary B Clish, Jerome I Rotter, Susan Redline, Tamar Sofer, Heming Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a complex sleep problem that affects approximately 33% of the United States population. Although EDS usually occurs in conjunction with insufficient sleep and other sleep and circadian disorders, recent studies have shown unique genetic markers and metabolic pathways underlying EDS. Here, we aimed to further elucidate the biological profile of EDS using large-scale single- and pathway-level metabolomics analyses.

Methods: Metabolomics data were available for 877 metabolites in 6071 individuals from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). EDS was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaire. We performed linear regression for each …

Auricular Point Acupressure For Older Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Jennifer Kawi, Chao Hsing Yeh, Nada Lukkahatai, Hulin Wu, Natalia E Morone, Ronald Glick, Elizabeth A Schlenk, Claudia Campbell, Johannes Thrul, Xinran Huang, Hongyu Wang, Hejingzi Monica Jia, Paul Christo, Constance Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Efficacious modalities are limited in chronic low back pain (cLBP). We determined the efficacy of auricular point acupressure (APA) in older adults with cLBP.

Design: 3-arm randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Baltimore, Maryland.

Participants: Participants, ≥60 years with cLBP, were randomized (1:1:1) to APA with ear points targeted to cLBP (T-APA, n = 92), points nontargeted to cLBP (NT-APA, n = 91), or waitlist education control (n = 89), and followed up to 6 months (6M). Participants in the APA groups received 4 weekly APA sessions; the education control group received 4 weekly educational sessions.

Intervention: APA.

Main outcomes and …

Leveraging Existing Cohort Studies Of Mexican Women To Better Understand Hispanic Health And Cancer Risk, Dalia Stern, Liliana Gomez-Flores-Ramos, Britton Trabert, V Wendy Setiawan, Loïc Le Marchand, Henry Gomez, Paul A Scheet, Humberto Parada, Amber Pirzada, Martin Lajous, Leslie V Farland

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Hispanics have been historically underrepresented in epidemiologic cancer research. Existing cohort studies focused on recruiting Hispanic participants have been relatively small, making studying cancer outcomes challenging. Therefore, we aimed to compare the distribution of cancer risk factors among Hispanic women of Mexican heritage (HWMH) participating in existing cohorts to explore the possibility of future data pooling efforts.

Methods: We used baseline data of HWMH from three US-based studies, the Mexican American Cohort (MAC; n = 19,797; 2001-2017), the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC; n = 18,007; 1993-1996), and the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL; n = 4,022; 2008-2011), and …

Exploring Boundaries With Food, Substances, And People In Substance Use Recovery: A Qualitative Analysis, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, Audrey Sarah Cohen, Kriti Shrestha, Jie Zhu, Audrey Lopez, Alisha Campbell, Christine Bakos-Block

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: In the United States, over 47 million youth and adults live with a substance use disorder (SUD). These individuals are frequently malnourished and have metabolic dysregulation as a result. Nutrition interventions incorporating a mindfulness-based approach help recovery efforts that are physical and mental.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore and analyze the perspectives and experiences of individuals with SUD regarding emotional regulation and nutrition. The study used a mixed methods approach to generate insights for improving recovery support and developing future interventions.

Design: In 2024, an exploratory mixed methods study was conducted based on a large …

Heightened Risk: Childhood Trauma And Anticipatory Grief Exacerbate The Impact Of Loneliness On Depressive Symptoms And Lps-Stimulated Cytokines In Dementia Caregivers, Kelly N Brice, Jensine Paoletti-Hatcher, E Lydia Wu-Chung, Vincent D Lai, Daniel L Argueta, Michelle A Chen, Itee Mahant, Bryan T Denny, Charles Green, Luis D Medina, Paul Schulz, Jennifer Stinson, Samantha K Henry, Cobi Heijnen, Christopher P Fagundes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Dementia spousal caregivers are at a disproportionate risk for adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Loneliness is associated with depressive symptoms and proinflammatory cytokine production among caregivers. Additionally, childhood trauma, anticipatory grief, and poor sleep quality are all associated with enhanced stress reactivity. This study used a cross-sectional design to investigate whether loneliness is associated with proinflammatory cytokine production and depressive symptoms in caregivers, and whether these relationships are strongest among caregivers who report high levels of childhood trauma, high amounts of anticipatory grief, or poor sleep quality. A sample of 111 dementia spousal caregivers provided blood samples and completed …

Hepcidin, Incident Heart Failure, And Cardiac Dysfunction In Older Adults: The Aric Study, Iman A F Aboelsaad, Brian L Claggett, Victoria Lamberson, Pranav Dorbala, Kunihiro Matsushita, Pamela Lutsey, Bing Yu, Brandon W Lennep, Youssef M K Farag, Amil M Shah, Leo F Buckley

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aims: Hepcidin regulates plasma and tissue iron levels. We studied the association of hepcidin levels with the risk of incident heart failure (HF) and cardiac dysfunction in older adults.

Methods and results: We included adults from the ongoing, longitudinal Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, who were free from prevalent anaemia and HF at Visit 5 (2011-13) and had available hepcidin and covariate data. Associations of plasma hepcidin levels with overall adjudicated incident HF, HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. Cross-sectional associations of hepcidin …

Using The R = Mc2 Heuristic To Assess Whole-Of-School Physical Activity Implementation In Elementary Schools: A Cross-Sectional Study, Derek W Craig, Kevin Lanza, Christopher D Pfledderer, Andjelka Pavlovic, Kempson Onadeko, Natalia I Heredia, Jizyah Injil, Laura F Defina, Timothy J Walker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Schools are recommended to use a whole-of-school (WOS) approach to promote physical activity opportunities before, during, and after school. Yet, the barriers and facilitators to implementing a WOS approach successfully are not well understood. The R = MC2 heuristic, which defines readiness for implementation as a combination of an organization's motivation and capacity to implement, can enhance our understanding of implementation in the school setting. This study examines associations between constructs from the R = MC2 heuristic and schools' implementation of a WOS approach.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from U.S. elementary schools participating in …

A Multimodal Approach To Assess A Liposomal Carrier’S Biodistribution, Stability, And Clearance, Cayla A Wood, Claire E Jones, Ananthakrishnan Soundaram Jeevarathinam, Riley Watson, Sangheon Han, Jennifer Meyer, Konstantin V Sokolov, Richard R Bouchard

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Liposomal carriers, used for site-specific drug delivery, are being investigated for diagnostic approaches by replacing the therapeutic with an imaging contrast agent, exploring potential for selective treatment planning. There remains a critical need to improve in vivo assessment of biodistribution, stability, and clearance kinetics of liposomal carriers. This pilot study presents a multimodal approach in which liposome-encapsulated J-aggregated indocyanine green (ICG) dye (Lipo-JICG) is imaged with high spatial resolution using both in vivo photoacoustic (PA) imaging, to assess the absorbance characteristics of JICG and monomeric ICG, and ex vivo cryofluorescence tomography (CFT), to measure ICG fluorescence. An in vitro assay …

Deep Phenotyping Of Obesity: Electronic Health Record-Based Temporal Modeling Study, Xiaoyang Ruan, Shuyu Lu, Liwei Wang, Andrew Wen, Sameer Murali, Hongfang Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Obesity affects approximately 40% of adults and 15%-20% of children and adolescents in the United States, and poses significant economic and psychosocial burdens. Currently, patient responses to any single antiobesity medication (AOM) vary significantly, making obesity deep phenotyping and associated precision medicine important targets of investigation.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the potential of electronic health records (EHR) as a primary data source for obesity deep phenotyping. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the data elements and quality available from obesity patients prior to pharmacotherapy and applied a multimodal longitudinal deep autoencoder to investigate the feasibility, data requirements, …

Causes Of Symptoms And Symptom Persistence In Long Covid And Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Anthony L Komaroff, Robert Dantzer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Debilitating symptoms for many years can follow acute COVID-19 ("long COVID"), myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and various post-acute infection syndromes (PAISs). Together, long COVID and ME/CFS affect 60-400 million individuals, globally. Many similar underlying biological abnormalities have been identified in both conditions including autoantibodies against neural targets, endothelial dysfunction, acquired mitochondrial dysfunction, and a pro-inflammatory gut microbiome. Each of these abnormalities may directly cause some of the symptoms. In addition, the symptoms also may be caused by ancient, evolutionarily conserved symptomatic and metabolic responses to vital threats-sickness behavior and torpor-responses mediated by specific, recently discovered neural circuits. These neural …

Association Between Allostatic Load And Accelerated White Matter Brain Aging: Findings From The Uk Biobank, Li Feng, Zhenyao Ye, Zewen Du, Yezhi Pan, Travis Canida, Hongjie Ke, Song Liu, Shuo Chen, L Elliot Hong, Peter Kochunov, Jie Chen, David K Y Lei, Edmond Shenassa, Tianzhou Ma

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

White matter (WM) brain age, a neuroimaging-derived biomarker indicating WM microstructural changes, helps predict dementia and neurodegenerative disorder risks. The cumulative effect of chronic stress on WM brain aging remains unknown. In this study, we assessed cumulative stress using a multi-system composite allostatic load (AL) index based on inflammatory, anthropometric, respiratory, lipidemia, and glucose metabolism measures, and investigated its association with WM brain age gap (BAG), computed from diffusion tensor imaging data using a machine learning model, among 22 951 European ancestries aged 40 to 69 (51.40% women) from UK Biobank. Linear regression, Mendelian randomization, along with inverse probability weighting, …

Gated Recurrent Unit With Decay Has Real-Time Capability For Postoperative Ileus Surveillance And Offers Cross-Hospital Transferability, Xiaoyang Ruan, Sunyang Fu, Heling Jia, Kellie L Mathis, Cornelius A Thiels, Schaeferle M Gavin, Patrick M Wilson, Curtis B Storlie, Hongfang Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ileus, a postoperative complication after colorectal surgery, increases morbidity, costs, and hospital stays. Assessing risk of ileus is crucial, especially with the trend towards early discharge. Prior studies assessed risk of ileus with regression models, the role of deep learning remains unexplored.

Methods: We evaluated the Gated Recurrent Unit with Decay (GRU-D) for real-time ileus risk assessment in 7349 colorectal surgeries across three Mayo Clinic sites with two Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. The results were compared with atemporal models on a panel of benchmark metrics.

Results: Here we show that despite extreme data sparsity (e.g., 72.2% of labs, …